Start hunting before the season, but don't take a gun. Watch a few videos and master the Yelp on a box call. Get out before dawn late March. Listen for birds. once you find them, go back in a day or so, listen for birds, and ease to within 100 yards, still before daylight (just when it is light enough for you to see to walk.). The closer the better but not so close you get seen. Sit down and just sit, watch, and listen. Pay attention to hen calls and the response of the gobblers. Watch and listen for the fly down. Sit tight and just let the birds be birds. After a few days of understanding the birds, try the same thing above but add a Yelp series of your own at daylight to see if you can get a roosted bird to respond. Once he does, don't call again. Wait and see what he does at fly down. If he hits the ground and gobbles a few times, then get out of dodge at the first opportunity without spooking him. Go back in a day or 2 just to confirm they are still roosting in the area. Enjoy the comms, but don't call yourself. You've already proven you can get a bird to answer so no need to do it again preseason. Head back opening day with your gun. Locate, stalk, sit, call once, enjoy response, wait til fly down. Now, what you and he does after hitting the ground opening day are too many scenarios to cover, so I'll leave that to your study and research. But the pattern I've described to you is what i do every year preseason. It not only lets me figure out where the roosting areas are, but confirms gobblers are in the area and fired up. Bottom line, take an incremental approach to studying the birds and learning the art, but never spook the birds preseason. If you do spook them, make sure it is during the season, with gun in hand. Good luck.
